Good morning. In today’s edition:

• 🤔 How will the war in Ukraine end?
• 🇮🇱🇵🇸 Hamas’ leader killed
• 🩸 “Like spare parts for people”

… and more.

🚀⏰ Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~4.91-minute read (1,308 words).

P.S. Did someone forward you this email? Subscribe here for free.

“Be approximately right rather than exactly wrong.”

–John Tukey (1915-2000)

This week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky unveiled the details of his “victory plan,” which is aimed at bringing an end to his country’s yearslong war against Russia.

The plan, which Zelensky presented to the EU on Wednesday evening, largely focuses on measures to strengthen Ukraine’s position, so that it can end the war by no later than next year.

It contains five key proposals:

1. Invite Ukraine to join the NATO military alliance.
2. Strengthen Ukrainian defense against Russian forces, including getting permission from allies to use their long-range weapons on Russian territory.
3. Deploy a “non-nuclear strategic deterrence package” on Ukrainian soil to protect against military threats from Russia.
4. Enlist the US and EU to protect Ukraine's critical natural resources from Russia, in exchange for agreements allowing the nations to use them.
5. Replace some US troops stationed across Europe with Ukrainian soldiers (only once the Russia-Ukraine war ends).

But… US officials are reportedly unimpressed with Zelensky’s new “victory plan,” expressing concerns that it lacks a comprehensive strategy and is little more than a repackaged request for more weapons and permission to launch long-range missiles. Some Ukrainian lawmakers have also openly critiqued the plan as being unrealistic and lacking concrete steps.

A war update: In early August 2024, Ukrainian forces launched a surprise incursion into the Kursk region of Russia, prompting the Kremlin to deploy ~40,000 troops in response. Since then, Russia has reportedly succeeded in removing some Ukrainian forces from its territory, though fighting remains ongoing.

Big picture: Overall, the Russia-Ukraine war has resulted in 1+ million casualties since February 2022, per Wall Street Journal sources (though determining the exact number of dead and wounded is near impossible).

• The WSJ estimates ~80,000 Ukrainian troops have been killed and ~400,000 more have been injured, while up to ~200,000 Russian troops have been killed and ~400,000 others injured.

📊 Flash poll: Which of the following best describes your thoughts regarding Ukrainian President Zelensky’s “victory plan?”

• I support all major points
• I support most major points, but oppose some
• I oppose most major points, but support some
• I oppose all major points
• Unsure/other

From Julie Pelaez Studios, this 2025 wall calendar👆 measures 9.5" x 17.25" and features color-saturated abstract artworks from recent mindfulness-themed art Collections:

• ⚖️ The “hoMEostasis” Collection, with an emphasis on “me”, is a call for us to source our own self-regulation, centeredness, and balance
• 🫶 The “Road to Alignment” Series is about taking actions aligned with our authentic self, one choice at a time

Each month showcases artwork large enough to be cut out and displayed well beyond 2025. And $1 of every sale will go to The Kids Mental Health Foundation, which works with parents, teachers, and kids to provide resources and support for mental wellness.

Set the tone for the new year with the 2025 Art Calendar from Julie Pelaez Studios.

💥 Israel confirmed its troops killed Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar in Gaza. Sinwar, a US-designated terrorist, was Hamas’ main leader and the architect behind its surprise attack against Israel on October 7, 2023. Israel says Sinwar was killed on Wednesday by IDF soldiers who unknowingly encountered the Hamas leader in southern Gaza, with his death later confirmed by forensic tests. Experts say Sinwar’s death marks a potential inflection point for the Israel-Hamas war, as it’ll likely bring added pressure from outside nations to reach a ceasefire deal.

🗳️ Georgia saw its second straight day of record early voting turnout. Georgia is seen as a crucial swing state for the presidential race, with local voters selecting the winning candidate in 2016 and 2020. The state recorded ~590,000 in-person early votes in the two days after polls opened on Tuesday, representing ~8.5% of Georgia’s entire active voting population.

🤖🚘 A luxury Miami condo has a high-tech parking garage where robot valets park cars. The futuristic 24/7 operation employs five car lifts, dozens of lasers, and hundreds of bar codes embedded in the floors across a 13-level garage. Residents simply pull into one of the building’s five drive-up bays, then hand their vehicles off to robo-valets who park the cars for them.

Like a culinary student using recipes without crediting the chef, the NY Times isn’t thrilled about Perplexity using its articles to train AI models without permission. The newspaper this week sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Jeff Bezos-backed AI search engine startup, demanding they stop accessing content from its site.

Perplexity says it doesn’t scrape content for AI training, but also argues that “no one organization owns the copyright over facts” to defend what it says is “indexing web pages and surfacing factual content.”

Not the Times’ first rodeo

The NY Times previously sued OpenAI and Microsoft, claiming they used millions of its articles to train their AI systems.

• That particular lawsuit alleges the companies utilized nearly a century's worth of material, representing 66+ million articles from the Times' archives.
• The paper also added that OpenAI and Microsoft products reproduced its content word-for-word, created close summaries, and emulated its writing style.

🤖 Zoom out: As data-hungry AI models from Google, OpenAI, TikTok (who recently launched a massive data scraper), etc. scour the web for indexing purposes and to grab more “free” information for training, companies and content creators upset over these practices are driving things to a head. An analysis of 20 AI copyright lawsuits reveals a critical concern – namely, the lack of clear guidelines and fair compensation for copyrighted material used by AI companies – that the legal system will have to reconcile in some way, shape, or form.

When you put something in your body, you want to trust the source. That’s why Cornbread Hemp implements stringent manufacturing standards to deliver quality you won’t find anywhere else.

• Cornbread controls plant genetics, grows hemp on their Kentucky farms, manufactures in their certified facility, and has everything lab-tested by a 3rd party to ensure ingredients are free of pesticides and impurities.

The result? Peace of mind for customers, as they enjoy an accurately dosed product with a delicious flavor, that’s 100% legal in almost every state. And of course, a calming, comforting, and pleasant sensation.

Get quality you can trust here from Cornbread Hemp – save 25% with code DONUT until Oct. 31.

“It’s like spare parts for people.”

New research from Harvard and Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering outlines how a team of scientists created a new method to 3D-print blood vessels, bringing artificial organs one step closer to reality (in a twist of irony, this story made a British member of our team exclaim “bloody hell!”).

• The new method, published in the journal Advanced Materials, creates a structure that mimics part of the human heart and allows fluid to flow through a blood vessel-like tube.

Other scientists and companies are also playing in this space. One of the entities furthest along is Humacyte, a North Carolina-based biotech company bringing the auto-body shop approach to actual bodies – meaning it makes lab-grown blood vessels already being used in live humans.

As reported by the Wall Street Journal:

• Humacyte has already implanted more than 500 of its blood vessels in humans.
• The company’s approach has helped treat 69 people with injuries from gunshots, workplace accidents, car crashes, and other traumas. It’s also been used on 19 soldiers in Ukraine via a special humanitarian program that was approved by the FDA, where many of the soldiers were wounded by explosives.

🩸 Bottom line: Lab-grown blood vessels would offer surgeons a drastically different method to help patients whose arteries have been torn in explosions or car crashes, for example. Doctors typically use a patient’s own blood vessels cut from a different part of the body or synthetic grafts made of plastic, which can cause clotting and other problems.

• ☝️ The winners of the 50th annual Nikon Small World photomicrography competition were unveiled yesterday; the contest celebrates the beauty of images taken through a light microscope.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

in partnership with JadeYoga

• 💰 US markets closed mixed (S&P: -0.02%; Dow: +0.4%; Nasdaq: +0.04%) | 🤖 The semiconductor industry is prepping for a slowdown. | 📺 Netflix beat analysts’ estimates for earnings and revenue in Q3; ad-tier memberships increased 35% quarter over quarter.
• 🚗 Uber is reportedly considering making a bid to buy travel booking company Expedia. | 🔎 Google replaced its search and ads boss, who will now take on the role of the company's chief technologist.
• 🥔 PepsiCo, owner of Lay’s, Doritos, Tostitos, and Ruffles, is filling some chip bags with 20% more chips for the same price as a regular bag.

*From our partners: 🧘‍♀️🏆 The yoga mat that delivers unmatched grip, comfort, and durability: JadeYoga’s Harmony Mat was voted “Best Mat of 2024” by The New York Times Wirecutter. Made in the US and from natural rubber. No PVC or EVA. Get the Harmony Mat from JadeYoga.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🏀 A’ja Wilson and Napheesa Collier were unanimous selections for the 2024 All-WNBA first team; Caitlin Clark became the first rookie to make the first team since Candace Parker in 2008. | 🏀✍️ Unrivaled, a new women's 3-on-3 basketball league that launches in January, signed a multi-year TV rights deal with TNT. | 🏀 Virginia men's basketball coach Tony Bennett is retiring today, per a surprise announcement from the school; Bennett is a two-time national coach of the year who led Virginia to the 2019 national championship.
• 📚 Amazon unveiled the first Kindle with a color display.
• 🤝🏈 Tom Gores, a private-equity billionaire who owns the Detroit Pistons, has reportedly agreed to buy a non-controlling 27% stake in the Los Angeles Chargers for $750 million.

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

in partnership with Niphtio

• 🚬 8% of US teens today report using tobacco products, marking the lowest rate since 1999, per new federal estimates.
• 🚶 Walking in short bursts consumes 20%-60% more energy than walking continuously for the same distance, according to a new study. | 🐁 Rodents use their squeaks to stir up dust particles around them to supercharge their already-strong sense of smell, per a new study.
• 🤕 Men and women utilize different biological systems to relieve pain, per a new study; researchers found men relieve pain by releasing endogenous opioids – the body’s natural painkillers – while women rely on other, non-opioid based pathways.

*From our partners: 😓 Research stress? Organize all those open tabs with Niphtio – the smart way to save what matters. Save items/multiple tabs with just one click. Attach notes for prioritization. Quickly retrieve bookmarks with smart search. Works on any device/browser. Get Niphtio free.

MISCELLANEOUS

• 📝🕴️ An independent panel reviewing the attempted assassination of former President Trump published a report identifying “deep flaws” in the Secret Service and recommending the agency replace its leadership with people from the private sector.
• ⛪ The Los Angeles Catholic Church agreed to pay a collective $880 million to 1,353 people who say they were sexually abused as children by Catholic clergy; experts say it’s the largest single payout by a diocese in history.
• 🪙⚖️ Two young men are accused of swindling a Washington, DC, resident out of $230 million worth of crypto, in one of the largest person-to-person crypto thefts in US history, per recent court filings.

CLICKBAIT

• 💕🗣️ Couples in successful relationships always use these 6 phrases.

💰🏢 Stat of the Day: Looking for a raise? Time to dust off your coffee-fetching skills and apply for an internship at Jane Street Capital. The semi-secretive trading firm, which counts FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried and former FTX CFO Caroline Ellison as alumni, is listing intern positions with base pay starting at $250,000/year, per the Financial Times – or more than the annual salaries of Fed Chair Jerome Powell and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

🤔 Did You Know? Outback Steakhouse was founded in Tampa, Florida, in the late ‘80s by Americans who had never visited Australia, but wanted to ride the cultural wave inspired by Crocodile Dundee – the second-most popular US film of 1986.

📰 Worth a Read: These beaches are among LA's favorites. But they're fake → (BBC Future)

It seems fitting that scientists recently announced the discovery of this orange and black salamander (☝️) just in time for Halloween.

• The new species, named Tylototriton soimalai, was found for the first time in northwestern Thailand two years ago, featuring a distinct coloring and a triangular bulb on its head.
• Conservationists are actively working to protect this vulnerable species during the breeding season to help its population flourish.

We bring you the most unusual, off-the-wall and occasionally laugh-out-loud headlines from this week.

• Annual wife-carrying championship attracts competitive couples to Maine → (Associated Press)
• Hackers take control of robot vacuums in multiple cities, yell racial slurs → (ABC News Australia)
• Wyoming rangers stop blowing up dead horses due to wildfire risk → (The Guardian)
• Former top FTX executive Ryan Salame has updated his LinkedIn profile. His new role? Prison inmate → (CNN)
• World's largest pair of jeans measures 250 feet long → (UPI)

🤔 Hmmm: The hottest NFL hot takes after 6 weeks of the 2024 Season

💰 Read: About Ben Franklin’s 200-year trust experiment that generated millions.

⚡ Interesting: Most tropical lightning storms are actually radioactive.

🎶 Dee-rect from Domingo: Watch the SNL skit stuck in our entire team’s heads.

😌 Ready to bring calm and clarity to your busy, messy life? Join Karo Wanner, founder of Mindful Monday, for her free Mini Mindfulness Course, launching on October 29. In just five days, you’ll start building a mindfulness practice that sticks. Sign up here and take your first step to becoming a meditator – spots are limited.*

📧 Check out: TLDR, a great tech-focused newsletter supplement to The DONUT offering quick-read stories on startups, programming, and more. Read by 1.2+ million, sign up free.*

*A message from our partners.

Our weekly news quiz is live. How well did you pay attention this week? Let’s find out.

Below are three lists of ingredients. Your job is give us the completed dish they make.

☝️ Recipe #1:

• Yukon Gold potatoes
• Salt
• Butter
• Ground pepper
• Parmesan cheese
• Egg yolks
• Chives
• Breadcrumbs
• Egg whites
• Canola oil

✌️ Recipe #2:

• Flour
• Sugar
• Salt
• Cinnamon
• Butter
• Vanilla extract
• Egg
• Sour cream
• Peaches

3️⃣ Recipe #3:

• Salmon filets
• Salt
• Pepper
• Butter
• Garlic
• Dry white wine
• Zested lemon
• Capers
• Dijon mustard
• Parsley

☝️ Recipe #1: Potato croquettes

✌️ Recipe #2: Peach pie bars

3️⃣ Recipe #3: Salmon picatta